Government, Politics, and Reform - Overview
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are all represented in the Museum's collections—by a surveying compass, a lap desk, and a top hat, among other artifacts. But the roughly 100,000 objects in this collection reach beyond the possessions of statesmen to touch the broader political life of the nation—in election campaigns, the women's suffrage movement, labor activity, civil rights, and many other areas. Campaign objects make up much of the collection, including posters, novelties, ballots, voting machines, and many others. A second group includes general political history artifacts, such as first ladies' clothing and accessories, diplomatic materials, ceremonial objects, national symbols, and paintings and sculptures of political figures. The third main area focuses on artifacts related to political reform movements, from labor unions to antiwar groups.
"Government, Politics, and Reform - Overview" showing 6 items.
March on Washington Handbill
- Description
- The March on Washington, August 28, 1963, was the largest civil rights demonstration the nation had ever witnessed. One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation, 250,000 Americans of all races gathered to petition the government to pass meaningful civil rights legislation and enforce existing laws establishing racial equality. The March for Jobs and Freedom was conceived by A. Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, coordinated by Bayard Rustin, and supported by almost all the major civil rights organizations and many labor unions and religious organizations. Its speakers included Randolph, John Lewis, James Farmer, Walter Reuther, and Martin Luther King Jr., whose "I Have a Dream" speech invoked the hopes of all Americans seeking racial justice.
- This handbill was donated in 1964 by Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a principle organizer and chairman of the Washington, D.C., coordinating committee. It is one of many items in the Museum's civil rights collection that helps document and preserve this pivotal event in American history.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1963
- associated date
- 1963 08 28
- speaker
- King, Jr., Martin Luther
- organizer
- Randolph, A. Philip
- coordinator
- Rustin, Bayard
- speaker
- Lewis, John
- Farmer, James
- Reuther, Walter
- organizer
- Fauntroy, Walter
- related organization
- Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
- ID Number
- PL*251855.04a
- catalog number
- 251855.04a
- accession number
- 251855
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Greensboro Lunch Counter
- Description
- On February 1, 1960, four African American college students—Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond—sat down at this "whites only" lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked for service. Their request was refused, and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest.
- For the six months that followed, hundreds of students, civil rights organizations, churches, and members of the community joined the protest and boycotted the store. Their commitment ultimately led to the desegregation of the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter on July 25, 1960. Their peaceful sit-down was a watershed event in the struggle for civil rights and helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South.
- user
- F. W. Woolworth Co.
- ID Number
- 1994.0156.01
- catalog number
- 1994.0156.01
- accession number
- 1994.0156
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Paper Banner, around 1863
- Description
- In the summer of 1862, Lincoln drafted an executive order on slavery. Published in September, it declared that, as of January 1, 1863, all persons held in slavery in areas still in rebellion would be “then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not directly free any enslaved people in Union-controlled areas, it was widely understood that a Union victory would mean the end of slavery.
- This paper banner celebrates the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Gift of Dr. Clara S. Ludlow, 1911
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1863
- associated person
- Lincoln, Abraham
- ID Number
- PL*012132
- catalog number
- 12132
- accession number
- 52752
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Commemorative Print of the Emancipation Proclamation, 1864
- Description
- In the summer of 1862, Lincoln drafted an executive order on slavery. Published in September, it declared that, as of January 1, 1863, all persons held in slavery in areas still in rebellion would be “then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not directly free any enslaved people in Union-controlled areas, it was widely understood that a Union victory would mean the end of slavery.
- Publishers throughout the North printed decorative copies of the Emancipation Proclamation after its enactment. R. A. Dimmick published this engraving in 1864.
- Gift of Ralph E. Becker, 1959
- date made
- 1864
- associated date
- 1863
- associated person
- Lincoln, Abraham
- maker
- R. A. Dimmick
- ID Number
- PL*227739.1863.F03
- catalog number
- 227739.1863.F03
- accession number
- 274861
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Roy Wilkin's NAACP cap
- Description
- Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, wore this cloth hat during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
- Date made
- before 1963
- user
- Wilkins, Roy
- referenced
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- ID Number
- 1980.0668.102
- accession number
- 1980.0668
- catalog number
- 1980.0668.102
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
- No Image Available
cane
- Date made
- 1844
- associated person
- Powell, Jay
- Adams, John Quincy
- ID Number
- PL*016155
- catalog number
- 016155
- accession number
- 13152
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center